Stoke V Mildenhall National Trophy Saturday 31/05/14 @ 7.00 Pm

[Swift Saint]

URGENT PRESS RELEASE FROM STOKE SPEEDWAY

 

BIG WEEKEND FOR THE POTTERS

 

It looks like for once that Stoke Potters have drawn a longer straw than usual with good weather in prospect for a pivotal weekend as they seek to further strengthen their position in the National Trophy Competition. The Potters seemed to be on the crest of a wave two weeks ago when they won at Kings Lynn following on from their good victory against Kent a few days earlier. These matches extended their run of wins to four with three of these being on opponents’ shale.

 

On Saturday evening (7.00 pm) the Mildenhall Fen Tigers are at Loomer Road the only team to have beaten Stoke so far this season. That was Stoke’s very first match of the season with the Potters unquestionably short of practice and now they are anxious to square matters against their visitors from Suffolk.

 

Stoke welcome back Lee Payne to the, side he was injured in his first Fast Track outing for Belle Vue but has recovered and takes his place at No.4 in an otherwise unchanged line up. There is no doubt that Stoke will have to hit form early against the Tigers in what should be an enthralling fixture with the Potters seeking to strengthen their position at the top of the National Trophy table, although to be strictly accurate they have ridden more than most of their rivals. The top two teams will meet over two legs in the National Trophy Final and the Potters would like nothing more than to be one of them. “These lads are so keen to make a good mark in all competitions this season and the matches against Mildenhall and Leicester are pivotal with Kent having a lot of ground to make up.” said Team Manager Malcolm Vasey. “Mildenhall always bring excitement and entertainment to West Row and we are ready for the inevitable battle. Leicester have a strong group of riders and despite their problems I am sure they will be set up to try and win the match, we must definitely be on our mettle." added Vasey

 

 

On Sunday (4.00 pm) it’s the relatively short trip to Leicester to meet the Lion Cubs who comfortably saw off Kent in their only fixture so far. Leicester have had numerous problems and changes to make this week and Stoke will look to try and use the situation to their advantage. “Even as I speak it’s not definite exactly what Leicester’s line up will be they have had to endure a very difficult time. Rest assured that whoever they put out we will go for it with our usual never say die determination and try and bring the valuable points at stake back to Loomer Road“ said Malcolm Vasey. “Our form has been impressive so far although there are big guns out there that we have yet to meet. But this side is good enough to win anytime and I am pleased with all of them. Against Mildenhall there is no doubting their power at reserve and that is something we must try and abate. Leicester at full strength destroyed Kent but they are battling for fitness so we must wait and see. Very often in such circumstances a team will galvanise themselves and prove hard to beat and we must match their effort With our own

 

Stoke (Both matches)

Ben Wilson, Chris Widman, Ben Hopwood, Lee Payne, Jon Armstrong (Capt), Rob Shuttleworth, James McBain

 

Mildenhall

Joe Jacobs, Connor Coles, Dan Halsey R/R, Connor Mountain, Josh Bates, Brendan Johnson, Jack Kingston.

 

Leicester (to be finalised)

 

There will also be second half Midland Development League matches between Stoke Spitfires and Milton Keynes Knights on Saturday and the Spitfires face Long Eaton Invaders at Leicester on Sunday

 

 

[Craftman]

Good luck for the weekend Stoke !

[Craftman]

Well done Stoke ! Great team performance all round .

 

Credit to Joe Jacobs he was class tonight and Shuttleworth who's getting better each meeting .

 

Good luck to Carl Froch

[Halifaxtiger]

_{All the Stoke axe to grind knockers look away now.}

 

_{They have a good side and one that I would say is only going to improve - definitely play off material. Very impressed with Shuttleworth, given his lack of experience.}

 

_{Mildenhall - Jacobs aside, who never looked like being beaten - were disappointing. That's the second time I have seen them under achieve.}

 

_{There wasn't much passing but the track was way, way better than some of the occasions when I have been in the past and I am sure I heard one of the Mildenhall riders ask what had happened to the bumps. Bit more of a racing surface for the future, but all credit to the Stoke promotion as they certainly seem to have put some effort in to addressing the criticism they have received. Definitely worth another visit}

 

_{Perhaps the promise of the team and the improved track was why the attendance was probably 3 times bigger than the last time I went.}

 

_{On a final note, best wishes to James McBain. That crash was a bad one, and a head injury is always the one that gives most cause for concern.}

[Great Central]

Halifaxtiger, a nice balanced post. The track wasn't as good as the first match but I think that was down to the enormous amount of rain that had fallen on it in the week, plus the hot drying conditions yesterday. It is stock cars this Saturday so hopefully they can get it quickly back to a track on which good racing is possible. It is definitely much flatter reflecting the amount of work done on it before the season.

Apparently James had a CT scan last night and there is nothing seriously wrong however I think his shoulder took a hammering again. Wasn't sure if Jack Kingston suffered any injuries in the same crash.

Early days and a lot can happen to upset things, but the team is shaping up nicely to be a good team.

Edited June 1, 2014 by Great Central

[teddy2706]

_{All the Stoke axe to grind knockers look away now.}

 

_{They have a good side and one that I would say is only going to improve - definitely play off material. Very impressed with Shuttleworth, given his lack of experience.}

 

_{Mildenhall - Jacobs aside, who never looked like being beaten - were disappointing. That's the second time I have seen them under achieve.}

 

_{There wasn't much passing but the track was way, way better than some of the occasions when I have been in the past and I am sure I heard one of the Mildenhall riders ask what had happened to the bumps. Bit more of a racing surface for the future, but all credit to the Stoke promotion as they certainly seem to have put some effort in to addressing the criticism they have received. Definitely worth another visit}

 

_{Perhaps the promise of the team and the improved track was why the attendance was probably 3 times bigger than the last time I went.}

 

_{On a final note, best wishes to James McBain. That crash was a bad one, and a head injury is always the one that gives most cause for concern.}

I am a Stoke axe to grind knocker, so put my hand up to that. However, I visited Loomer on saturday and was pleasantly suprised at the race surface. I enjoyed the racing, but was upset at the falls, riders seemingly going straight through or under the airfence and coming to a very abrupt halt on turn one. James McBain's crash was distressing, I was astonished when Josh Bates jumped up and hurried back to the pits unhurt after a similar incident. The incidents at Stoke re-inforce my belief that running NL double headers at Devon in the time allowed will be fraught with difficulties. James McBain was on the track for a long time whilst receiving medical attention, then there was an understandable delay whilst awaiting a county ambulance. Joe Jacobs was an inspiration at this meeting.

[Halifaxtiger]

I am a Stoke axe to grind knocker, so put my hand up to that. However, I visited Loomer on saturday and was pleasantly suprised at the race surface. I enjoyed the racing, but was upset at the falls, riders seemingly going straight through or under the airfence and coming to a very abrupt halt on turn one. James McBain's crash was distressing, I was astonished when Josh Bates jumped up and hurried back to the pits unhurt after a similar incident. The incidents at Stoke re-inforce my belief that running NL double headers at Devon in the time allowed will be fraught with difficulties. James McBain was on the track for a long time whilst receiving medical attention, then there was an understandable delay whilst awaiting a county ambulance. Joe Jacobs was an inspiration at this meeting.

 

No, you're not, mate - in my experience, you're like me in that you call it how you see it. That might be praise or criticism, but at least its objective and unbiased.

 

There's no way one of those intent on bashing the Stoke promotion will give them the slightest bit of credit about anything and that's what means their opinions are absolutely valueless.

 

At the moment, I suspect, they are choking on their own venom.

Edited June 2, 2014 by Halifaxtiger

[griffo]

I am a Stoke axe to grind knocker, so put my hand up to that. However, I visited Loomer on saturday and was pleasantly suprised at the race surface. I enjoyed the racing, but was upset at the falls, riders seemingly going straight through or under the airfence and coming to a very abrupt halt on turn one. James McBain's crash was distressing, I was astonished when Josh Bates jumped up and hurried back to the pits unhurt after a similar incident. The incidents at Stoke re-inforce my belief that running NL double headers at Devon in the time allowed will be fraught with difficulties. James McBain was on the track for a long time whilst receiving medical attention, then there was an understandable delay whilst awaiting a county ambulance. Joe Jacobs was an inspiration at this meeting.

 

It must have been Adrenaline that Josh jumped up and back to the Pits because for the next Twenty Minutes he was sitting in the Pits Ashen Faced and shaking so it had really shaken the lad up, but typical of these youngsters he said to Rob Henry Am I in Heat 15, Robs answer was definatly not

Griffo

[Stokielee]

_{All the Stoke axe to grind knockers look away now.}

For the avoidance of doubt, perhaps you could list the members of this forum you are referring to?

[Halifaxtiger]

For the avoidance of doubt, perhaps you could list the members of this forum you are referring to?

 

The newsman and the boozer spring to mind but I am sure they are not alone.

 

Lets put it this way and see how many of those who have been critical will now come on and give the Stoke promotion the credit for putting some hard work in on the track and putting a decent side out. Then of course they'd be commenting on the fact that the gate on Saturday was massively increased on last season.

 

That, surely, marks out those who are fair and objective in their remarks from those who are unreasonable and subjective. In my view, those in the first category are worth listening to, those in the second are not.

[Stokielee]

Fair points. You say things have improved and I hope that is the case.

However you did also say there wasn't much passing so it still sounds there is some way to go.

Also a point that seems to be missed is that many people have issues with the attitude of the promotion, not just the team or the track.

I've yet to see any improvement in that regard so lets hope the improvements extend to that area as well...

[teddy2706]

 

I am a Stoke axe to grind knocker, so put my hand up to that. However, I visited Loomer on saturday and was pleasantly suprised at the race surface. I enjoyed the racing, but was upset at the falls, riders seemingly going straight through or under the airfence and coming to a very abrupt halt on turn one. James McBain's crash was distressing, I was astonished when Josh Bates jumped up and hurried back to the pits unhurt after a similar incident. The incidents at Stoke re-inforce my belief that running NL double headers at Devon in the time allowed will be fraught with difficulties. James McBain was on the track for a long time whilst receiving medical attention, then there was an understandable delay whilst awaiting a county ambulance. Joe Jacobs was an inspiration at this meeting.

 

It must have been Adrenaline that Josh jumped up and back to the Pits because for the next Twenty Minutes he was sitting in the Pits Ashen Faced and shaking so it had really shaken the lad up, but typical of these youngsters he said to Rob Henry Am I in Heat 15, Robs answer was definatly not

Griffo

 

I am sorry to learn that Josh wasn't in fact alright after that crash Griffo. I know that he isn't everyone's cup of tea, but British speedway needs passionate lads like him, he never gives less than his best and he gets emotional when he doesn't do well. To be truthful, one of the reasons that tempted me to Stoke on saturday was to watch Joe and Josh riding.

[Halifaxtiger]

Fair points. You say things have improved and I hope that is the case.

However you did also say there wasn't much passing so it still sounds there is some way to go.

Also a point that seems to be missed is that many people have issues with the attitude of the promotion, not just the team or the track.

I've yet to see any improvement in that regard so lets hope the improvements extend to that area as well...

 

The racing wasn't brilliant by any means (although I certainly take GC's point above - it was a sunny, windy day and they are always a nightmare for track curators) but the improvement in the track surface was a very visible one.

 

I daresay many people do have issues with the promotion, but it seems that a lot of that stems from what I regard as an unavoidable drop into the NL. True, on occasion comments made on here haven't helped the situation but the fact that the gate was way, way bigger than last season suggests that some people might put their support of the team above their dislike of the management and that the improved track and team have tempted quite a few back. The blame for poor teams and poor tracks can reasonably be laid at the door of the promotion, but equally they should get the credit if matters are turned round, as here.

 

If it was the case that attendance of speedway meetings was defined first by respect for members of the BSPA I suspect that there would be a few stadiums that would be very light on paying spectators.

[Baldy]

 

The racing wasn't brilliant by any means (although I certainly take GC's point above - it was a sunny, windy day and they are always a nightmare for track curators) but the improvement in the track surface was a very visible one.

 

I daresay many people do have issues with the promotion, but it seems that a lot of that stems from what I regard as an unavoidable drop into the NL. True, on occasion comments made on here haven't helped the situation but the fact that the gate was way, way bigger than last season suggests that some people might put their support of the team above their dislike of the management and that the improved track and team have tempted quite a few back. The blame for poor teams and poor tracks can reasonably be laid at the door of the promotion, but equally they should get the credit if matters are turned round, as here.

 

If it was the case that attendance of speedway meetings was defined first by respect for members of the BSPA I suspect that there would be a few stadiums that would be very light on paying spectators.

Well said Halifax, It is with the way the sport is run that I no longer attend as it is set-up completely wrong in my view and I no longer wish to spend money on something that I think is no worth watching. People have said to me that if I wait for the set-up to change then speedway will be gone and I have cut my nose off to spite my face; to a degree I see their point but I have gone along for too long and was simply not enjoying speedway at any level because the difference in standard of riders within any side was too big. It's an argument that I have had for years that teams are "forced" to select riders to get within a points limit. Why not let the riders find their level/standard and go at that.? If someone is good enough for the "best" league then they will get there, if not then they will not. There are riders riding in the Elite and also in the National and that cannot be right. Seven of the same standard per team and lets see racing in every race not just two or three a night. Can't see it myself but that's what I want and will not return until it does. Just to add to that just noticed the scores during the week Steve W top scores for Swindon in Elite, Edinburgh in the Premier and rides in the National??? Explain how that can be right that a lad who can top score in the elite yet ride against "up and coming riders" in the national. Just does not make sense.

Edited June 7, 2014 by Steeplejack